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Master Water Steward Case Study

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Community leaders emerge from Master Water Steward program
By Dayna Ball
Raised near the Mississippi River, Tessa Anttila always had a great appreciation for water. Because of her native roots, she felt protective of the natural resource growing up. When she moved to the city as an adult, Anttila wondered how she could transfer her appreciation for water to an urban setting. That’s why she started looking for ways to get involve with local water issues and came across the MWMO.
Like Anttila, Rachel Johnson was searching for a way to be more involved in her community. She wanted to develop a skill she could share with people in her neighborhood and use to work with local organizations.
The two turned their aspirations into action and joined …show more content…

At the end of the program, each member completes a capstone project that reflects what they’ve learned throughout the training and improves stormwater management in their community
Although graduation from the program is still months away, the warmer weather makes summer a popular time for future Master Water Stewards to crank out their capstone projects.
For Anttila and Johnson, finding an exciting capstone project wasn’t hard to do. The pair were kind enough to let me document the construction of their BMPs, and I caught up with them afterwards to discuss their experience in the Master Water Steward Program.
The physical BMP component of their capstone project had multiple elements. Prior to the project, rainwater runoff from Anttila’s house, garage, and neighbor’s house pooled in her driveway, which made the driveway somewhat unusable and even led to flooding problems in her basement. To address this issue, Anttila and her partner decided to replace their concrete driveway with permeable pavers to allow rain water to soak in between the bricks and into the ground. Although permeable pavers are one of the more pricey BMP options, they are highly

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